Tuesday

Jun 4, 2019 at 3:28 PMJun 4, 2019 at 3:30 PM

The former Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputy who President Donald Trump called a “coward” for his response to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was arrested Tuesday and charged with multiple counts, including child neglect.

Peterson, of suburban Boynton Beach, Fla., was on duty as a school resource officer Feb. 14, 2018, when a gunman opened fire at the high school, killing 17 students and employees.

He is being charged with seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury following a 15-month investigation into his role in the tragedy.

The sheriff’s office conducted an internal investigation into the actions of seven deputies to determine their compliance with the office’s standards following the shooting. Peterson was arrested after an administrative discipline hearing at the headquarters of the sheriff’s office. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement led the investigation into the shootings.

“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen said. “There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.”

In a 14-page letter to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission in May, Peterson maintained he “did nothing wrong and everything humanly possible” during the shooting.

The letter was written in response to a report in which the commission found Peterson should have engaged the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, to “mitigate further harm to others.” The report claims Peterson hid behind a staircase for 48 minutes during the shooting.

“All the facts related to Mr. Peterson’s failure to act during the MSD massacre clearly warranted both termination of employment and criminal charges,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “It’s never too late for accountability and justice.”

Peterson was booked in the Broward County Main Jail.

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